France's new prime minister is taking office and diving straight into a huge and thankless challenge: bringing back investors, jobs and hope to Europe's second-biggest economy. Socialist President Francois Hollande, in need of a boost for his image and his country, named Manuel Valls on Monday as prime minister. Valls is an energetic, popular...

Add comment Reprints + - French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, center, waves to reporters, as he walks in the lobby of the Elysee Palace with French President Francois Hollande, left, and Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron, right, at the end of the weekly cabinet meeting in Paris, Wednesday Feb. 18, 2015. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, invoking special powers, pushed through a...

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has the dubious honour of leading one of his country's shortest-lived governments but he is grappling with formidable challenges. Supporters of the tough-talking Socialist politician point to Europe's general economic crisis when assessing his record in tackling high unemployment and feeble growth. On the surface, he has split his party,...

New prime minister Manuel Valls and President François Hollande at the Elysee Palace last week. Photograph: Chesnot/Getty Images It is not just the British who will see humour in a Manuel from Barcelona trying to revive France's failing socialist government. Fawlty Towers remains popular across the Channel, where it is called L'Hôtel en folie, and there was more than one...

Valls was born in Barcelona, Spain, and became a naturalized French citizen in 1982. He is a prominent supporter of F.C. Barcelona, the famous club whose anthem was composed by a namesake of his, the cousin of his father. As reported on the Swiss Newspapers last week he is the son of a Spanish citizen, while his mother is a Ticinese, Swiss-Italian from Valle di Blenio, Canton Ticino.

After serving as an advisor on youth issues for Prime Minister Michel Rocard from 1988 to 1991, he was communications advisor to Prime Minister Lionel Jospin from 1997 to 2001.

Burton High Fives - Competitions Start Tomorrow

Press Release: TUNE IN: Watch the Second Annual Burton High Fives snowboarding competition LIVE on on September 12 and 13 WHAT: The second annual Burton 'High Fives' presented by MINI snowboarding competition, is now underway at Cardrona Alpine Resort in Wanaka, New Zealand. A live webcast of the slopestyle and halfpipe competitions will be on with the slopestyle coverage... more